Withholding and Withdrawing Life Support: Moral Dilemmas, Moral Distress, and Moral Residue

This paper argues for the following points. (1) Despite the recent public controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo case, withholding and withdrawal of life support rarely presents any moral dilemmas. (2) Given this, we ought to turn our attention to how end of life care is done rather than whether it ought to be done. (3) A ‘caring perspective’ is an essential ingredient in end of life care. Unfortunately, as nurses undergo their ‘professionalisation process’, they often lose this caring perspective. Hence, ways must be found to avoid this loss. (4) Assuming success in this enterprise, it is necessary that nurses be integrally engaged in both end of life care and decision making

Telling Patients the Truth

This article discusses the ethical necessity of health care workers telling their patients the truth about both their diagnosis and prognosis. This necessity is based upon respect for persons, utility, and kindness. Within this ethical obligation to tell the truth, however, there are several different ways in which the truth can be told. In particular, this paper stresses that telling patients the truth is best thought of as a process that unfolds over time, and which is driven by what the patient knows and what they want

Some Ethical Issues in Treating and Caring for People with Dementia

This paper explores several issues regarding the treatment and care for patients suffering from dementia, including a discussion of the relatively low time and money spent on dementia research compared to research on cancer and cardio-vascular disease. It will also discuss the special relationship between the person suffering from dementia and their carer, who is often a loved one. The paper employs principlism and so examines these issues from a consideration of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice

Sexual Minority Rights Are Not Just for the West: Health and Safety Considerations in Africa

In a recent article, C.O. Akpan argues that it is “unnatural for a man to sleep with a man as with a woman, and the idea of marriage in this sense is an abomination” (“The morality of same-sex marriage: How not to globalize a cultural anomie,” Online Journal of Health Ethics, 13(1), 2017, p. 9). Arguments in favor of same sex marriage, he claims, are “driven and motivated by the human right fad” (p. 9) that is inappropriate for African countries. We argue that the specific arguments Akpan employs against the morality of homosexuality and same-sex marriage are flawed. Our paper also presents evidence that human rights are not simply a fad, nor are they of concern and appropriate only to the West. Finally, we examine the case in South Africa, the only African nation to include LGBTQ+ rights in its constitution. In particular, we show that by doing so, South Africa has increased the health and safety not only the LGBTQ+ community, but of the nation’s citizens at large

Withholding and Withdrawing Life Support: Moral Dilemmas, Moral Distress, and Moral Residue

This paper argues for the following points. (1) Despite the recent public controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo case, withholding and withdrawal of life support rarely presents any moral dilemmas. (2) Given this, we ought to turn our attention to how end of life care is done rather than whether it ought to be done. (3) A ‘caring perspective’ is an essential ingredient in end of life care. Unfortunately, as nurses undergo their ‘professionalisation process’, they often lose this caring perspective. Hence, ways must be found to avoid this loss. (4) Assuming success in this enterprise, it is necessary that nurses be integrally engaged in both end of life care and decision making